


Time Flies When You Have A Faulty TARDIS

by feathertail



Category: Class (TV 2016)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Gay Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Love, M/M, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 11:22:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8748571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feathertail/pseuds/feathertail
Summary: From the prompt by Ellienerd14:
An AU where Marlie are best friends when one (you can chose who) goes traveling with the Doctor. They return a few years later (a Rose Tyler season one style mix up?) and find the other isn't in London anymore because they went to find him.And they're heartbroken and have a 'I love you' moment as they realise the strange feeling they had which made them want to come home was missing the other.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ellienerd14](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellienerd14/gifts).



> For the prompt from Ellienerd14:
> 
> An AU where Marlie are best friends when one (you can chose who) goes traveling with the Doctor. They return a few years later (a Rose Tyler season one style mix up?) and find the other isn't in London anymore because they went to find him.  
> And they're heartbroken and have a 'I love you' moment as they realise the strange feeling they had which made them want to come home was missing the other. 
> 
> Not 100% accurate but I hope it's okay and you enjoy <3

The bunghole of time had opened up again, releasing some truly horrible monsters so ferocious that they’d had to call in the Doctor to help with the incident. He’d adopted Charlie as his second-in-command as they dealt with the invaders, the Rhodian’s natural sense of authority proving very useful to calm and organize the screaming humans as they fled from the massacring aliens.

When it was all over, and the Earth was saved, the Doctor returned to his blue box.  
“You know, you could come with me,” he offered as Charlie stopped a few feet away.  
“I can’t,” Charlie shook his head. “A Level results come out soon, and we’ve got universities to sort out, and I have friends,” he protested. The Doctor grabbed his hand despite this.  
“I’ll have you back before they even notice you were gone,” he promised, and tugged the Rhodian inside.

It still astounded Charlie that the box was bigger on the inside, and the Doctor grinned at him.  
“I have just the place,” he smiled, then jogged around the console, pressing buttons, pulling levers, turning dials, and Charlie was fairly sure he even saw him smack something with a hammer; the Doctor’s eccentricities amused him no end. After a few minutes of ‘vworp’ing, the central column stilled and the Doctor grinned, crossing to the doors.  
“Ready?”  
Charlie nodded eagerly, and the doors swung wide…

* * *

While the planet had not been as beautiful as Rhodia had been once, Charlie still appreciated its glory, his heart filling with wonder from the first step he took on its surface. When the experience was over, he thanked the Doctor profusely, then insisted he be taken home (for Earth was home now) in the politest manner possible.

After the Doctor dropped him off, Charlie walked home, and ended up smacking straight into the front door. He pushed it, confused. Quill never locked the door.   
"Quill?” he shouted, banging a fist on the door. No answer. Perplexed, he stepped away and withdrew down the path, and decided to seek out April instead.

He knocked smartly on her front door, and smiled affably when she opened it. But his words faded on his lips as he examined her. She looked _older_ , more _sad_. And suddenly she let out a choked “Charlie!” and engulfed him in a hug, and there were definite tears dripping down his neck.  
“April? What’s wrong?” he asked, patting her back hesitantly.  
“What’s wrong?!” she asked, pulling back sharply, her chest heaving in almost-hysterical sobs. “You _disappeared_ , Charlie! How did you think that it would even remotely be okay?”  
Charlie froze, trying to form a sentence, then stuttered, “H-how long have I been gone?”

April punched his chest none-too-gently. “Three years! You absolute _arse_! Matteusz has been chasing leads all over the country, searching for you!” She punched him again. “What were you _thinking_?”  
Charlie shook his head slowly. “I- I don’t know. I- fuck. _Matteusz_.”

In a blind daze, he turned on his heel and somehow found his way back home, walking zombie-like until his forehead smacked into the door again. He unlocked it slowly with the key April had pressed into his hand, accompanied by a clout to the head, opened the door, and stepped inside.

His hand dug in his pocket, thumb already dancing across the keyboard, Matteusz’ number appearing on the screen. He hit ‘call’ and pressed the receiver to his ear, then frowned. The ringing tone from his own mobile was conflicting with another tone, a ringtone. A familiar ringtone. _Matteusz’ ringtone._

He followed the sound silently, hand and phone hanging loosely at his side. His ears directed him to his room, and he startled at what he saw; Matteusz was curled up on the prince’s bed, one arm slung over the Cabinet of Souls, in such a deep sleep that not even the insistent trilling of his phone could wake him from his exhausted slumber. Charlie let the call ring off and slowly approached the bed.

Matteusz looked _awful_ , worry lines marked into his forehead even in sleep, and deep, dark shadows of sleepless nights bruising under his eyes. Charlie gently removed the Cabinet from under his arm, setting it back on its stand. As he turned back to the Pole, Matteusz made a truly heart-breaking, vulnerable-sounding noise. Charlie’s own brow creased and he climbed onto the bed to join Matteusz, carefully sliding himself into the place of the Cabinet and wrapping his own arms around his friend.

“I’m so sorry, Matteusz,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of the Pole’s head without thinking. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was only meant to be gone a minute…” he sighed, closing his eyes, and breathing in the scent of Matteusz that made his heart throb just so. “I love you too much to willingly hurt you,” he explained, dozing off slowly as Matteusz’ rhythmic breathing soothed him.

* * *

When Matteusz woke in the morning, he started at the hand in his hair, stroking slowly, and the gentle, rhythmic breaths ghosting over his neck. He pulled back suddenly, jolting Charlie out of his reverie. Mateusz scrambled backwards, convinced he had finally cracked, that he was hallucinating, but Charlie’s eyes filled with tears and he held out shaking hands.  
“Matteusz,” he pleaded. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you. Please, I love you, please forgive me.”  
Matteusz hesitated. “You are real? You are here? Truly here?”  
Charlie nodded enthusiastically.  
“I- I love you too,” Matteusz stuttered, slowly inching back towards Charlie’s open arms. “I searched for you.”  
Charlie nodded again. “I know. I’m sorry. I never meant to leave you,” he reiterated. Matteusz nodded, finally shuffling close enough forwards that he could gently tug Charlie forwards by his chin.

“You love me?”  
Charlie nodded firmly.  
“I love you too,” Matteusz smiled, and gently leaned in to softly press their lips together. Charlie inhaled sharply but slowly got the hang of it and kissed back.

Excuses and stories were forgotten and left for later, and the only thing that mattered was the both of them, together, in love.


End file.
